Leinster boss Leo Cullen says it is an ‘exciting challenge’ for some of his young cubs as they look to extend the province’s GUINNESS PRO12 winning streak by downing the Dragons at their Rodney Parade fortress.
GUINNESS PRO12: Friday, January 29
NEWPORT GWENT DRAGONS (11th) v LEINSTER (2nd), Rodney Parade, 7.05pm (live TG4/BBC 2 Wales)
Team News: With in excess of 30 players missing through Ireland call-ups (senior and Under-20s) and injury, there are a total of 12 changes to the Leinster team that faced Wasps last weekend and a number of first time appearances in the matchday squad for those on the bench.
Luke McGrath has also been named captain for the first time in his Leinster career as he makes his seventh start of the campaign. It is his most starts to date in a single season, with a total of 38 appearances to date.
There is one positional switch in the backs as Zane Kirchner, a try scorer last week, switches from the right wing to full-back, while Fergus McFadden returns from suspension to take his place on the left wing and Academy winger Adam Byrne makes his first start for Leinster on the right wing just over three years after his first and only cap to date.
On that occasion Byrne came off the bench against Connacht in a 17-0 home win to become the youngest player to ever play for Leinster at just 18 years, eight months and twenty days. Injuries have cut across his progress since then but the UCD clubman has been performing very well this season for UCD in the Ulster Bank League, Leinster ‘A’ in the British & Irish Cup and indeed with the Ireland Sevens team.
Ben Te’o and Garry Ringrose renew their partnership in the centre this week, while St. Michael’s College past pupils Luke McGrath and Cathal Marsh fill the number 9 and 10 jerseys respectively.
In the pack Peter Dooley, James Tracy and Michael Bent start in the front row with all three starters last week either in Ireland camp or injured.
Ross Molony is joined by Hayden Triggs in the second row. Triggs makes his first start since he injured his ankle in the Champions Cup game against Bath in November, an injury that subsequently required surgery.
Dominic Ryan at blindside flanker and Jordi Murphy at number 8 are retained from last weekend, while Dan Leavy comes into the pack at openside. Leavy is the leading try scorer in this season’s British & Irish Cup with eight tries in the six pool games.
On the bench, Academy players Jeremy Loughman, Oisin Heffernan and Peadar Timmins are all in line to make their senior debuts for the province. Loughman and Heffernan are both in their first year in the Academy and Timmins, who has captained the Leinster ‘A’ team this season, is in his second.
Meanwhile, the Newport Gwent Dragons are boosted by the return of Wales international Hallam Amos, who was recently named in Warren Gatland’s RBS 6 Nations squad, after he was released to play for the region this week.
Dragons director of rugby Lyn Jones has made four changes to the team that lost 38-5 away to Sale Sharks in the European Challenge Cup last time out.
Full-back Carl Meyer returns to the starting line-up after failing a fitness test last weekend. He is joined in the back-three by wingers Ashton Hewitt and Hallam Amos. The centre partnership remains unchanged as Adam Hughes and Adam Warren get the nod. Out-half Jason Tovey also retains his position alongside scrum half Sarel Pretorius.
The front row sees the inclusion of hard hitting prop Boris Stankovich who starts alongside tighthead Brok Harris and hooker and captain Rhys Thomas.
Lock Rynard Landman is partnered by young gun Matthew Screech in the second row and the back row sees versatile forward Lewis Evans move to number 8 with Nick Crosswell and Nic Cudd getting the nod as flankers.
NEWPORT GWENT DRAGONS: Carl Meyer; Ashton Hewitt, Adam Hughes, Adam Warren, Hallam Amos; Jason Tovey, Sarel Pretorius; Boris Stankovich, Rhys Thomas (capt), Brok Harris, Rynard Landman, Matthew Screech, Nick Crosswell, Nic Cudd, Lewis Evans.
Replacements: Elliot Dee, Phil Price, Shaun Knight, Cory Hill, James Benjamin, Charlie Davies, Geraint Rhys Jones, Nick Scott.
LEINSTER: Zane Kirchner; Adam Byrne, Garry Ringrose, Ben Te’o, Fergus McFadden; Cathal Marsh, Luke McGrath (capt); Peter Dooley, James Tracy, Michael Bent, Ross Molony, Hayden Triggs, Dominic Ryan, Dan Leavy, Jordi Murphy.
Replacements: Richardt Strauss, Jeremy Loughman, Oisin Heffernan, Tadhg Beirne, Peadar Timmins, Isaac Boss, Ian Madigan, Noel Reid.
Referee: Marius Mitrea (Italy)
Assistant Referees: Craig Evans, Sean Brickell (both Wales)
Television Match Official: Tim Hayes (Wales)
Match Odds (Paddy Power): Newport Gwent Dragons to win: 4/9; Draw: 14/1; Leinster to win: 15/8
Pre-Match Quotes: Leo Cullen (Leinster) – “Some of those (young) guys acquitted themselves really well (against Bath). We’ve massive faith in some of those guys coming through.
“It is another very exciting challenge for them with ‘X’ amount of players not being available for selection. I’ve seen other teams issue injury reports of 20-odd players. Add to that the international call-ups and that’s the situation we find ourselves in, so it’s a big strain on our resources.
“We play this game against Dragons. It is going to be a tough challenge going over there. It is a tough place at the best of times. We lost over there last year.
“There is a break of a week. Ulster are playing a PRO12 game that week which is a rescheduled fixture. But, then, we’re into a block of games during the Six Nations. Depending on what happens with the Irish squad, there could be a knock-on effect. Will players trickle back? We just have to plan away with what we’ve got.
“It is an another opportunity for these guys to showcase what they’re about and get great experience similar to Bath when we had a lot of younger guys playing in that fixture.
“Thankfully, it was a positive experience for us and some guys showed that day that they are really ready to push on.”
Phil Price (Newport Gwent Dragons) – “We’ve got to take advantage of the fact that the other sides don’t have their international players (during the Six Nations window) and we have just got to make sure we start climbing the league.
“We have to be positive and achieve the best finish we can. We’ve got a good run of games in the league now and should be bouncing into the (Challenge Cup) quarter-final with Gloucester.
“We want to turn Rodney Parade back into the fortress that it once was and there’s no reason why we can’t have another clean sheet or just concede the odd try.
“The work-rate and attitude is always there from us, but at Rodney Parade we feed off the crowd and the atmosphere while other teams don’t always play to the best of their ability. But we also know we have to take that form away from home.”
Top Scorers – 2015/16 GUINNESS PRO12: Newport Gwent Dragons – Points: Jason Tovey 66; Tries: Sarel Pretorius 3; Leinster – Points: Isa Nacewa 49; Tries: Isa Nacewa 5
RECENT LEAGUE MEETINGS:
Friday, March 1, 2013 – Newport Gwent Dragons 19 Leinster 26, Rodney Parade
Friday, November 1, 2013 – Newport Gwent Dragons 19 Leinster 23, Rodney Parade
Friday, February 14, 2014 – Leinster 31 Newport Gwent Dragons 19, the RDS
Sunday, February 15, 2015 – Leinster 14 Newport Gwent Dragons 16, the RDS
Sunday, April 12, 2015 – Newport Gwent Dragons 25 Leinster 22, Rodney Parade
Saturday, October 3, 2015 – Leinster 37 Newport Gwent Dragons 13, the RDS
MATCH FACTS:
– The Newport Gwent Dragons have won just one of their last four matches: 31-18 at home to Castres Olympique in the European Challenge Cup on January 15
– The Dragons’ only victory in their last six GUINNESS PRO12 fixtures was 22-6 over Munster at Rodney Parade in round 9
– Leinster have won their last seven PRO12 matches since tripping up at the Scarlets on October 16, their only defeat this season to a Welsh region
– Leinster won 37-13 when the two sides met in round 3 to reverse the trend of last season where the Dragons achieved a PRO12 double over the Leinstermen for the first time
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